Module 3 Resources

Topic 5: Terms of Reference (ToR)

A Process for Creating Alignment, Structure and Transparency

When Implementation Teams and other stakeholders are clear about their purpose, membership, processes and ways of work from the outset, they are better able to avoid misunderstandings and engage in more focused work.

To protect, engage and guide the work of Implementation Teams, early on it is helpful to create Terms of Reference (ToR). ToR ensure the Team has the necessary:

“Face time” to work as a whole Team plus time for task-oriented small group work between meetings

Timely access to relevant and reliable student academic and behavioral data as well as implementation fidelity data

Clarity of the role of the Team and its members

Reminders of the focus of the work and of the agreed upon ways of work when the work gets complicated

Connections to teams horizontally within an organization (i.e., teams across the school or teams across the district) that serve different and distinct functions; and vertically within the education system (classroom to capital)

Activity 3.4
Terms of Reference Examples and Mock-Up

Implementation Teams use Terms of References (ToR) to provide clarity about the work of the team, help the team stay ‘on mission’ and orient new members. Use this activity with your team to organize and articulate a ToR.

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Creating Terms of Reference (ToR) as a team and investing the time for fleshing out the details and the way of work helps facilitate the work and identified goals in a manner that is agreed upon.

In other fields, ToR are sometimes referred to as Scope or Work (SOW) or Memo of Agreement (MOA).

If challenges or challenging situations arise, the ToR document can help take away any potential “personality” issues and keep decisions objective. ToR is also a useful orientation tool for new staff to get on board and learn about the function and culture of the team.